Various means are known to secure terminals inside of cavities of a housing. These include the use of potting compound, spring clips and the like. Especially in a multi-terminal housing it is important that all terminals be held securely and in accurate alignment during assembly and handling of the housing and during mating with a corresponding housing which may involve significant insertion force, to maintain the precise alignment of many terminals with their counterpart terminals. Such concerns are also important during in-service use of the housing and during disengagement of one housing from the other when a terminal therein may be subjected to tensile force or tugging and possibly become dislodged from or loosened within its cavity.
It is desirable to have a means to assure that the terminals are properly secured within their respective cavities, and further that they remain properly secured after assembly. It is also desirable to do this in a way which permits disassembly for removal and replacement of terminal, for instance. Further, it is desirable to do this in an economical manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,355 discloses one method which involves, in a housing having two rows of several cavities containing terminals therein, inserting a long, thin rectangular member from a side of the housing and between the two rows of terminals such that the side edges of the insert member project into recesses on the terminals to hold them in place. U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,760 discloses mating plug and female housings each with two rows of cavities containing terminals which cavities have flexible walls with locating tabs which enter annular recesses of the terminals to position and hold the terminals, and a long, thin rectangular member is then inserted from a side of the housing assembly into an opening between the cavities to prevent free flexing of the walls while it locks the plug and female housings and the pin and socket terminals together.